The present invention relates generally to modular offices, and more particularly, to a system for supplying the various offices or work areas of the modular office system with electrical power and communication service.
Modular office systems are an increasingly popular alternative to permanent offices in office buildings for the important reason that these modular systems enable the tenant to arrange offices or work stations to meet his particular needs. The popularity of modular office arrangements can be further attributed to the fact that increased emphasis is being placed on user comfort and privacy as well as office decor and style which creates an atmosphere conducive to productive work.
Maximum flexibility in arranging the various offices and work stations of a modular office system is essential if the benefits of a modular office are to be achieved. However, in the past there has been an inability to supply efficiently each individual office setting with electrical power and communication service. This has been the primary factor that limited the flexibility of the modular office system. This energy distribution problem has been addressed, however, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,626, and in a related pending application Ser. No. 825,655, filed Aug. 18, 1977, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application. In the above patent and related application, support sections for movable wall partitions are disclosed which house power and communication lines to which telephone stations and various electrically-operated equipment can be connected. The support sections are equipped at each end with a connector for connecting the cables of adjacent support sections. Service outlets installed on the support sections at various locations receive plugs or cords from various electrical devices enabling their operation within the work stations or offices.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,621, also assigned to the assignee of the present application, a laminated floor construction is disclosed on which work stations and modular offices are positioned. Grooves are formed in a sub-covering to receive transmission cables for conveying power from a wall outlet, for example, to the particular work station or office or for extending a cable to a free standing light fixture, for example, which is positioned away from the walls. The grooves have a depth substantially equal to the height of the cable in order to maintain a smooth and substantially continuous top surface on which a top floor covering such as carpeting is placed.
Normally, electrical and telephone lines are permanently installed within the floors, walls, and ceilings of a building. Significant savings would be realized, however, if these lines were mounted on the surfaces of the walls so as to be easily movable to various locations to accommodate the needs of the user. The use of secondary wall panels and a portable energy distribution system could then be implemented to conceal the exposed lines and distribute the energy to desired locations along the walls of the building.
It is the general object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an energy distribution system for conveying electrical power and communication service along the walls within a building structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an energy distribution system which readily interfaces the electrical and telephone systems installed in the building with interior energy distribution systems for the modular office settings.
In accordance with the present invention, an energy distribution system is disclosed for conveying electrical power and providing communication service along the base of the primary walls of an enclosed area and can be interfaced with the energy distribution system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,626 and pending application Ser. No. 825,655, filed Aug. 18, 1977, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,621. The energy distribution system of this invention consists of a plurality of elongated support members arranged end to end along the primary walls of an enclosed area such as a room. Each support member consists of an upright wall member to which a pair of vertically spaced-apart upper and lower support portions are mounted in a cantilevered arrangement to extend horizontally from the wall member in one direction. Wall panels are located on the support members to conceal the primary walls which can be unfinished and on which electrical cables or the like are mounted. The support portions define a pair of utility spaces, a top or upper utility space being provided between the support portions and a lower utility space being provided below the lower support portion. The exposed side ends of the support portions are vertically spaced apart to define an access opening to the upper utility space. The utility spaces serve to house electrical and telephone lines and the support members are supplied with various services outlets connected to these lines to which telephones and electrically-operated devices located within the various office settings can be connected.
A cover strip is detachably mounted on each support member and engages upright flanges formed on the horizontal support portions at their free-hanging ends. The cover member provides the support members with an appearance being an extension of the panels which are supported on the top support portions of the support members. The cover strip is easily removed to permit access to the utility spaces for purposes of servicing or installing additional lines.
The support members are positioned along side the primary walls of the room and are suitably secured to the floor or to the wall at desired locations on the support member, openings are formed through which the electrical and telephone lines that are affixed to the primary walls are extended into the utility spaces. The horizontal support portions of the support members support panel partitions spaced somewhat from the primary walls providing a clearance between the primary walls and the support panels to conceal the exposed electrical and telephone lines which are mounted on the surfaces of the primary walls.
An elongated outlet structure connected to the power lines is detachably mounted on the support member below the lower support portion in the bottom utility space. Suitable outlets are provided on the outlet structure to permit the connection of various electrically operated devices to the power supply. The cover member is constructed so that when it is mounted on the support member, a clearance is provided between the floor on which the support member is positioned and the cover member. This clearance provides an adequate space through which extension cords and the like can extend for connection to the power and telephone lines in support members.